The present invention relates to measuring devices for determining the position of workpiece faces, particularly along edges, steps and/or similar surfaces of a workpiece. More specifically, the present invention relates to devices incorporating a mechanical sensor which contacts the face to measure its distance from a reference plane.
In most prior art mechanical contact measuring devices for checking the position of workpiece faces, an adjustable sensor head is extended along a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the workpiece face. The length of the extension necessary for the sensor head to contact the workpiece face is utilized to determine the location of the workpiece face. With these devices, only those workpiece faces which are oriented perpendicularly to the measurement pickup or, more precisely, to the longitudinal axis, can be measured.
If a plurality of such measuring devices are combined into a measuring system for checking, for example, a shaft having a plurality of sections of varying diameters, the faces appearing on such shafts, particularly at its edges, steps and recesses, are checked by a plurality of measurement pickups which can interfere with one another because of their different orientations. Thus, there is a limit to the number of simultaneous measurements possible.
To remedy this, the measurement pickups are often equipped with complicated auxiliary devices such as, for example, multiple headed sensor tips which are mounted on the individual measurement pickups. Alternatively the individual measurement pickups can be arranged in different measuring planes around the shaft to be measured. However, with both of these alternatives, the potential number of measuring locations which can be simultaneously covered is low, the expense of the equipment can be high, and the quantity of required adjustments can be very extensive. These disadvantages are increased if, for example, both the step and length measurements of a shaft are to be checked.